Importance of Unstructured Outdoor Play for Child Development

Barefoot. Balanced. Weird.😏 “Active free play–particularly in the outdoors–is absolutely the most beneficial gift we as parents, teachers, and caregivers can bestow on our children to ensure healthy bodies, creative minds academic success, emotional stability, and strong social skills.”   Top book I’ve recommended. Ever. 📕Balanced and Barefoot ✍️Angela J. Hascom 👉If you deal with kids, you need it. Parents, grandparents, medical professionals, caregivers… All. I wish I had read this important book when my kids were still young and to give them permission to just play… and not tell them to “be careful”. It stresses the importance of.. 🔹taking risks and climbing trees 🔹jumping up and dangling down 🔹spinning around and swinging up 🔹playing outside without structure or plan… 🌟That kid play has a purpose in their development. “Active free play outdoors is a kind of play that promotes healthy sensory and motor development in children. It is the antidote to your child spending hours sitting indoors and staring at screens, and to you as a parent being too busy and overscheduled with kid activities to enjoy parenting.” So next time you see a crazy kid hiking barefoot, you don’t have to give him (or his obviously negligent mother 😏) the stink eye. 😃 👉Give me a 🙋‍♀️ if you have a crazy, barefoot hiking kid. And if you don’t, maybe you should. 😉